POETRY FROM RIPPLES AND THE LAKE OF ETERNITY

[Pravin Kumar]

Two poems - A new one on love from "Poetry From Ripples In The Lake Of Eternity' and the poem inspired by yesterday's post regarding Awakening and Suffering.

Love Encompasses All There Is

There are many varied definitions of love,
Ranging from universal, Agape*, the coolest,
To Eros, the hottest when ‘push comes to shove’,
Between are Storge, Pragma, Mania and Ludus.

To exhibit Agape one must see all as oneself,
That is of fundamentally the same essence,
Leading to the same treatment of others and self,
Manifesting the one conscious subjective presence.

So in Agape there is ‘no separation’,
Thus to love at its coolest this applies.
But to Eros its fieriest manifestation,
Can it be said that on this it relies?

The two times that I have been deeply smitten,
With my beloved I longed constantly to be,
Just as by modern authors this is written,
In songs, books and films this aspect we see.

So Eros and Agape require ‘no separation’,
Thus this is true of love at both ends of the spectrum,
I can confidently assert, with no hesitation,
That this holds for all forms of love in between them.

This is true of all things, love denoting attraction,
And all exert on each other gravitational pull,
Being of the same essence – Consciousness in action,
So love is the spirit infusing and holding all.

Thus love can be defined as ‘no separation’.
In Consciousness - still and in motion,
That is as Awareness and the manifestation,
Love encompasses all of this Ocean.

*Agape – Universal (brotherly) love.
Eros – Passionate love for an individual.
Ludus – Playful and uncommitted love.
Mania – Obsessive and over-committed love.
Pragma – Practical and pragmatic love.
Storge – Quiet and Friendly attachment.
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Awakening and Suffering

How does Awakening lessen suffering on the planet?
This very important question has various aspects,
Identifying with Awareness removes angst and it
Lessens the centrality of one’s worldly prospects.

Mental spinning on the illusory ‘small self’ goes,
Thus much needless suffering is negated,
For misidentification causes unnecessary woes,
Which by the ego are greatly overrated.

So to alleviate the suffering and angst of ‘others’
It’s best to make them of Awareness aware,
Spreading Awakening to our sisters and brothers,
So to transcend the separate self they dare.

Whereas, if they identify with the body/mind
As a separate object, alone in a universe of such,
They may mistreat others as of the same kind,
Objectifying them, not considering them much.

If they realize the constant aware essence,
And that the purpose of life is joy and love,
Then they’ll see all as of the same presence,
Treating them as equal not ‘below’ or ‘above’.

The major environmental problems we must heed,
Global warming, exploitation and overpopulation,
Are caused by those old chestnuts lust and greed,
Which must be curbed to stop planetary degradation.

The more people that become Awake,
Which will spread joy and peace,
Their worldly angst they’ll forsake,
Causing lust and greed to decrease.

Colin Drake